Two dead in shootings at 41st and Knight

A woman is consoled by Vancouver Police after finding out one of two men shot dead might have been her boyfriend inside an apartment building at 41st and Knight streets in Vancouver Tuesday, March 10, 2009.Arlen Redekop
/ The Province

Police are investigating a double homicide at 41st and Knight in Vancouver.Nick Procaylo
/ The Province

Police tape encircles a building in the 1400-block 41st Avenue Tuesday after two bodies were found in an upstairs suite.Arlen Redekop
/ The Province

Investigators gather at the scene of a double homicide at 41st and Knight in Vancouver Tuesday.Arlen Redekop
/ The Province

An apparent bullet hole is seen in a window at the scene of a double homicide at 41st and Knight in Vancouver Tuesday.Arlen Redekop
/ The Province

An officer stands outside a unit near 41st Avenue and Knight Street in Vancouver Tuesday.Arlen Redekop
/ The Province

VANCOUVER — The bodies of two shooting victims remained inside an East Vancouver apartment for most of the day Tuesday while forensic investigators combed the crime scene.

Police found the bodies in the apartment above a strip mall at Knight Street and 41st Avenue just after 8:30 a.m.

As police began the forensic exam of the scene, a young woman arrived and began sobbing hysterically. The woman, who said one of the victims might be her boyfriend, was comforted by police before being whisked away in a patrol car.

Const. Lindsey Houghton said police have yet to make any links to the ongoing gang violence in Metro Vancouver. Yesterday’s shootings were Vancouver’s ninth and 10th homicides of 2009 and the 19th and 20th murders in the region since Jan. 1. There have been 33 shootings in that time.

“I know everyone wants to know whether we can say these shootings were targeted or gang-related, but we just don’t know right now,” said Houghton. “It’s still extremely early in the investigation.”

He would not confirm the gender or background of the two victims but noted police had been to the apartment before, without providing further details.

Jay Su, owner of Jay’s New and Used Furniture directly below the crime scene, said he was in his store late Monday and heard nothing unusual. “I would see the upstairs tenants a few times each week,” Su said. “They are quiet. We’ve had no problems with them.”

The building also has a Money Mart on the main floor and a number of apartments above. Tuesday, a bullet hole could clearly be seen in the window of one second-floor suite.

Thelma Fisher, who lives in a house behind the strip mall, said she’s ready to move.

“We don’t feel comfortable living here any more,” said Fisher, 75.

“I love my home, I don’t want to move, but after today I don’t know what to think.”

Fisher, who has lived in the house all her life, said she and her husband have had no problems with people living in the suites above the businesses in the mall. She was not home when the the shootings took place.

“When I came home, the first thing I did was look for bullets in our house, but there were none,” she said.

Pedestrians passing the police tape asked a reporter what had happened: “Another shooting? It’s not surprising any more,” said Jimmy Tran with a shrug. “This seems to be happening every day.”

A property search shows the registered owner of the building is Christa Vina Investments Ltd.

Danh Van Nguyen, a former mortgage broker, is a director of the company. He was sentenced in 2007 to one year in jail after pleading guilty to four counts of fraud over $5,000 and two counts of attempted fraud.

Several mortgages Nguyen brokered before losing his licence in 2004 were linked to buildings that contained marijuana grow-ops.

• An associate of the Bacon brothers was critically injured in a sledgehammer attack Sunday night, according to the Vancouver Sun.

The man was attacked at a Langley home at about 7 p.m. on Sunday. He is listed in critical condition but is expected to survive. He is believed to be Tyler Willock, who was the target of a shooting outside T-Barz in Surrey last month.

Willock was in the backseat of his Range Rover when it was peppered with gunfire Feb. 16 at an intersection on East Whalley Ring Road. His driver suffered a gunshot wound to the shoulder.

Willock is a known associate of Jonathan, Jarrod and Jamie Bacon, members of the Red Scorpions gang.

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.